


Sword In Repose

by shinobipopcorn



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Genre: Confusion, F/M, Injury, Memories, Minor Character Death, Orphans, happy relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-10 17:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2034492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinobipopcorn/pseuds/shinobipopcorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Discarded after Demise's defeat, Ghirahim has spent the time in slumber. Constantly bothered by the Minish over the years, he starts to get fed up and appears in demon form to frighten them. But he is woken up by an innocent little girl instead, one who bears the name of his Skychild. He sends her away and returns to slumber, but twenty years later he is woken up again...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work has a cover image! http://defunctzombie.tumblr.com/image/93142316294

Far south of town, in the area known colloquially as the Minish Woods, an older man named Smith scratched his head and muttered to himself. "You certainly take after your father, that's for sure." Raising his voice, he called out. "LINK! Get back here! The woods are no place for a child to play, especially at dusk!"

The little child laughed and kept running, hypnotized by a small rabbit that refused to be caught. As they ran further into the forest, Smith's shouts began fading out. The rabbit then darted into a hole in some underbrush, and made the little child pout. The child tried to follow, but the gap proved too small for even a child to pass through.

"Bunny, come back!" Link whined for its return, until thunder erupted overhead. Link yelped and tried to run back. But the sky had darkened quickly, and left the child lost. Link crawled over to a small rock outcropping, and huddled under it. Lightning struck nearby, making the child scream. "Grampa... hic, I'm scared, grampa..."

As Link leaned back in the makeshift shelter, a small breeze blew through the back wall. Curious, the child crawled over and pushed on the wall. It gave way, leading to a much dryer log tunnel. Overcome with curiosity, Link followed it.

The tunnel let out into a grove bathed in teal. Link crawled over to a patch of weeds, attracted by a ruby glint. "Money!" the little child cried, and ran over to collect. But it was stuck in some kind of black metal thing, one just like the long, sharp things hanging in Smith's workshop. It was too heavy to pick up, so instead Link banged against it, hoping to dislodge the currency.

_That noise... Those blasted Picori, again? Can I not get a moment's peace?!_

**"ENOUGH!"**

Link rolled backward, startled when the money started shouting. The metal casing suddenly floated upward, and began glowing with a dark light. It made Link cry with fright.

**"If I've told you blasted rats once, I've told you a thousand times! LEAVE ME TO REST IN PEACE!"**

The glow surrounding the metal object brightened, and became a flash of red, gold, and silver diamonds. A man then appeared, body as black as death. Demon Lord Ghirahim hissed, white eyes scanning the ground in search of the source of his annoyance. They settled on a trembling bush, and within a second it was ripped away, revealing the child that had woken him up.

_...A little girl?_

He stepped back, expecting to have found a few greedy Minish miners. Instead a small child no more than four lay trembling in front of him. She was paralyzed with fear, her face a mess of snot and tears, and whimpering for her grampa.

_What a pitiful sight._

"You, child. Get up. I won't harm you if you do as I say." He watched as she peeked through her fingers at him and immediately covered back up. He guessed at the reason, and snapped his fingers. "How about now?"

Link peeked again, this time seeing a gray skinned young man instead of the black demon that had caused her to wet herself. His eyes were normal this time, save for an excessive amount of purple eyeliner. She giggled, reminded of the time she got fingerpaint all over her grampa's face.

"It seems you are calmed down now. What are you doing in this place?" Ghirahim asked. "I was certain the humans forgot this grove existed." He waited for a response, but instead got a blank stare.

"Are you a fairy, mister?"

It was an unexpected question, and threw Ghirahim off. "A fairy? How dense are you, kid! You look upon this magnificence and compare it to a fairy?!" 

"Fairies are pretty. You're pretty too!" Link laughed, and crawled over to Ghirahim's feet. "There's holes in your clothes. You're dressed funny."

"I'm not the one in soiled clothing," he retorted, snapping his fingers and replacing her dirty clothes with clean ones. "Now, I need you to listen very carefully, got it?" She nodded, and stared at him with bright blue eyes.

_Where have I seen those eyes before...?_

"Now listen, little girl. I'm playing a game right now, hide and seek. I'm sure you know it. Right now I'm hiding from someone and so I don't want to be found. You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone that you saw me. Don't tell anyone about the sword, either."

"You mean the money?" Link pointed to the gem on Ghirahim's belt.

"Oh, I see. Here," he snapped his fingers and handed her a red rupee, remembering that children were attracted to shiny objects. "Keep that, it can be proof of our promise. If anyone asks..."

"I'll say I found it in the grass!"

"Good girl." Ghirahim ruffled the child's sandy blonde hair. "Now, close your eyes and I'll send you back home." She complied, and with a snap of his fingers Ghirahim sent her back to sleep under the outcropping. Hopefully when she woke, she would think the whole thing was a dream, and not tell anyone about the grove. Humans had forgotten about the remains of the Sealed Temple, and Ghirahim intended it to stay that way.

He stayed awake and watched over the child until he heard someone coming, likely her grampa. The man came into view, and immediately spotted the sleeping child.

"Link! Thank the Goddesses!"

_Link?_

Ghirahim wasn't sure he heard correctly, but sure enough, the old man was calling her Link. Once she woke up, she ran over to him, smiling and holding up her rupee. She crawled up his back and they left the forest together, never noticing the Demon Lord watching.

He watched the family leave the forest, and for the first time noticed the small red ribbon in the girl's hair.

_'You and I are bound by a thread of fate...'_

A grin came across Ghirahim's face. "My skychild..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been patiently waiting! I'll try to work out some more chapters in the coming days. Just a heads up, this chapter is a little violent at the end....

"Link, thank goodness you're safe... You defeated Vaati... You were so brave! But we've lost so much... The castle... All those people..."

Zelda mourned her people, until Ezlo flew off Link's head and showed her how to return things to normal. Once things had been restored, Link stared down at the sword in her hand.

"I have to do something with this," the courageous twelve year old announced, holding the blade that sealed the Wind Mage's magic. "I'll hide it."

"Where will you hide it?" Zelda asked, concerned.

"I can't tell anyone, not even you or the king," Link explained. "That way, all the evil will have to come to me to release him. Everyone will be safe." And she knew just where to hide it.

* * *

"What a wonderful way to spend my birthday... Happy twenty fourth, Link." Link sighed as she walked through the woods. It had become a yearly expedition for her to come out and inspect the Four Sword and its resting place. Nothing had happened in the twelve years since Vaati's defeat, so she was starting to think he was gone for good.

She went far into the Minish Woods, pausing near a small rock outcropping above a rotting log. After making sure no one was following her, she kneeled down to the ground and started speaking.

"All right guys, go ahead and come out now."

At Link's suggestion, the grass at the base of the log started shifting, and a group of Minish emerged. "Happy birthday, Link!" they said in unison.

"You remembered?" Link raised her eyebrow at the group. The Minish were invisible to adults, but for some reason Link had never stopped seeing them. She enjoyed their company, but it made her sad that people started to think she was crazy. Most of Hyrule believed that the Minish only showed themselves to pure and innocent children, and some even dared to accuse Link of trying to get attention or flaunting her fame as the Hero of Hyrule. Not even Zelda believed her anymore.

"Well, you usually come check the blade around this time," they said. The Minish always spoke at once, as a way of helping Link hear them. "Kind of a strange decision if you ask us. Something bothering you?" Link shrugged at their question and crawled with them inside the log. They emerged in an open grove, surrounded by aged trees and weeping bamboo. She climbed up a hill to where the Four Sword rested, overlooking ruins of a building Link knew nothing about. She always wondered what the strange circular valley was for, or why there were so many crumbling stones in the middle of the woods.

The sword looked the same as it did the last time, and the time before that. It was covered in the grime of the forest, so the Minish set about sweeping it off. When they finished, Link thanked them and let them go. She never touched the blade herself, a precaution in case her energy somehow woke the evil sealed away.

As she stood to leave, she noticed an unmistakable scent. Moblins. She whipped around and narrowly avoided a spear meant for her head, but not the one for her feet. It knocked her off balance and sent her tumbling back down the hill, where she landed with a terrible ache in her hip.

The moblins ran after her, followed by a lone bokoblin. Link reached for her sword, but cursed when she realized that it fell off her belt during the tumble. She punched at the brutes, but there was no effect. It only gave them a chance to grab her and pin her to the ground.

The bokoblin kneeled over the now trapped Link, snarling. "You seal our master. No like. You free master now."

"Like hell I will," Link snapped back while fighting her restraints. Admittedly she was not as prepared for a battle as she should have been, and couldn't break free. It made her incredibly angry to be caught like this, and her rage was showing through her words.

"You free master. No free master, we cut." The bokoblin pulled a machete from his back, and held it under Link's chin. "Free master now. Slow get cut."

"I won't fall for your empty threats. I'm the only one here that can pull that blade and we all know damn well you wouldn't do something as stupid as killing me."

"No free master? We get other human. This no useful. Cut."

Link didn't even have time to widen her eyes before she felt the bokoblin drag his blade through her neck. She started shaking and gasping, her body desperately trying to take in air and failing. The brutes began laughing as her heart sped up, forcing blood out the gash and turning the grass red. Link was dying, and they enjoyed every second of it.


	3. Chapter 3

CLANG!

_?_

CLANG! Drip, drip, drip...

_What the hell, don't tell me...._

Shakeshakeshake _..._

_Those rats, I'll skin them this time!_

With a rumble of thunder and a flash of diamonds, the Demon Lord Ghirahim appeared in the grove, his black body fuming with rage from being woken up AGAIN. A group of filthy brutes stood before him, and he promptly berated them. "What in the name of Lord Demise were you fools doing, bringing me out of slumber?! I swear you have no-" He cut his tirade short when he noticed something at his feet was moving. He glanced down, and panic hit his system.

"Skychild!"

He recognized Link instantly, now that she was grown. But there was no time to admire her. He turned her to the side and clamped a hand over her neck, stifling the blood flow. Her airway was the bigger problem, and so Ghirahim conjured up a tube he could use for an artificial one. He yanked the hat from her head and tied it tightly around her wound as a bandage, before tilting her head back and sliding the tube down her throat. It was rudimentary but it worked, and her chest began to rise and fall.

By this time Link had stopped shaking, and her eyes glossed over. Ghirahim laid his head on her chest to listen for a heartbeat. Though it was beating rapidly, her pulse was nearly absent, and her body was cold from the lack of circulation. He muttered some incomprehensible words, casting a spell, and drew a mark on her forehead with his finger. A protective aura surrounded her, and Ghirahim sighed. Hopefully it would keep her alive long enough to get her safe and put back together, but first there was something he needed to take care of.

The sky above the forest blackened, and the wildlife started fleeing. But a certain group of brutes, who were to stupid to flee before, were now blocked by a golden barrier.

"There isn't enough blood in all your insignificant, worthless bodies combined to atone for what you've done today."

Ghirahim stood and turned to the brutes, and he was truly a frightening sight. Some of Link's blood had gotten in his hair and over his hands, peppering the white marks of his black body with a gruesome red. His slow steps forward made the earth tremble, and the brutes screams would have deafened anyone in earshot.

* * *

 

Link's body twitched as it was carried through the forest. Her breathing through the tube was shallow, and Ghirahim feared she wouldn't make it through the night. He cursed as he stumbled through the woods looking for the Skyview Temple he once called his home, irritated at how time changed the geography. But then he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey! You, Picori rat, come out here!" He had spotted a Minish spying on him, and ordered it out. "Get out here this instant! I need to know where your cursed Goddesses have put my home so I can save her life!"

The Minish popped out of her hiding place when she realized Ghirahim was talking about Link. "...You didn't do that to her?"  
  
"No, you idiotic flit! Now tell me, what has become of the Skyview Temple?"

"Sorry," she apologized. "I've heard rumors of the Black Terror chasing away those of us who get too close." Ghirahim narrowed his eyes at what the Minish people had come to call him. "'Skyview Temple', I don't know that name. But there is a place nearby that my father says used to hold a divine pool. Maybe that could save Miss Link?"

"Take me there!" He barked, recognizing the Skyview Spring. He knelt down enough for the Minish to jump on his shoulder and headed off in the direction she indicated. Soon enough, he spotted a familiar amphitheater. He teleported to the top, and ran for what remained of the temple.

Time hadn't been kind to the Skyview Temple, and little of the roof remained. But Ghirahim didn't care, as his chambers were beneath the ground. He snapped his fingers and appeared inside his main room, then promptly laid Link on the bed. "Skychild, don't give in," he whispered, before turning to find the Minish tugging at the hat tied around her neck. "What the blazes are you doing, rat? Leave that be!"

"Shush, I know what I'm doing. We need to start sewing her back together. And my name's not 'rat', it's Ezla. Now get some water, sewing supplies, and fresh bandages so we can start!"

Ghirahim was shocked, but nevertheless brought what Ezla asked. "Okay, since I'm too small, you'll have to VERY CAREFULLY sew where I tell you, got it? I hope those big metal fingers of yours aren't too clumsy..."

"Your assistance is welcome, but I will not tolerate insults toward my stunning appearance," Ghirahim growled. "Rage brings out my inner beauty, so you are ever so lucky to see this form."

"Yeah, yeah. Now first we have to fix her windpipe..."


	4. Chapter 4

One week later, Link awoke to a horrible pain in her neck. She was very disoriented, and tried to piece together her thoughts. _I made my yearly trip to the sword, the Minish cleaned it... then there were moblins? Yes, moblins tried to get me to release the seal. But I refused, and then a horrible black demon appeared and strangled me. So how did I get here?_

Link tried to sit up, but her neck caused her too much pain. So she rolled onto her side, and looked around. The room was small, about the size of her own. Dim sunlight came in through a skylight on the roof, and she could see that the walls were a shade of maroon. A few mirrors lined the walls, and there was a large vanity a few feet from the bed. Everything was decorated with diamonds of various colors, even the blankets covering her.

Her observations were interrupted by a creaking door, and she heard someone enter. When she rolled to see who, she panicked and withdrew under the covers.

_Vaati?! But how did he get released? He's come back to kill me again..._

The man came closer, pausing near the edge of the bed to set something down, then began gathering tools. Link peeked out of the blanket, looking for something to fight with. But that was when she noticed that Vaati looked... different. He was a lot taller, and his skin and hair were decidedly paler than last she saw. Not to mention the stark contrast in fashion. Was it even him?

The man noticed that she had come out, and turned to give her a smile. "Well good morning, skychild. No need to get up and greet me, I'll forgive you this time." He joked and went back to his tray, which Link now noticed was full of scalpels, scissors, and what might have even been a needle.

She opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but was stopped short. She tried again. And again. And again. But still, nothing came out of her mouth. Her face twisted into an expression of horror when she realized what was going on, and a shaky hand came up to touch her heavily bandaged neck. Her voice was gone. This sick bastard must have taken it away.

Link kicked her feet out at the man and violently rolled off the opposite edge of the bed, diving into the corner and hiding beneath the vanity. The man instantly stood and started saying something, but she couldn't hear from the pounding pain in her skull.

"Skychild, wait, you'll reopen your wound! Calm down!" Ghirahim walked around the bed, and was taken aback at how she glared at him. If the skychild were a cat, she'd be hissing. Tears streamed down her anger filled face, and she was shaking so badly it make the mirror on the vanity rattle. Just looking at her was enough to make his chest pang.

"Link," he said softly, calling her by name and kneeling down to her level. "Come out. I can't help you if you don't calm down. We need to change the bandage on your neck or you'll get infected."

She stayed where she was, wanting nothing to do with this cohort of Vaati who had rendered her mute. Glancing around she spotted a quill and letter that had fallen to the floor when she dove under the vanity. Ghirahim watched as she inched out her hand to grab it and started scribbling something along the letter's back. She then held it out for him to see.

_'Just kill me now, you coward. Finish what your moblins and black demon couldn't complete in the forest.'_

Ghirahim fell back on his haunches after reading what Link had written. The poor thing was in such shock that she confused him with the enemy. "No, no, skychild, you're mistaken. I'll explain it all, but first we really need to-"

_'You've already taken my voice, just finish the job. Take my lifeless body and parade it around in front of your pathetic 'Wind Mage' king, you freak!'_

"F-freak?" Ghirahim's eyes grew wide at that last word, and he instantly screwed his eyes shut. A memory came back to him, one he had tried desperately to forget.

_"I'll never let you harm Zelda. You can beat me bloody, but I'll still chase you to the ends of the Surface, until Hylia herself condemns my body to rot. But I swear to you, on the blood of the Hero, you will never touch her again, you **freak**!"_

Ghirahim pressed his hand to his chest as he cringed, remembering what the skychild had whispered into his ears as he drove the Master Sword through the jewel on his chest. His arms started shaking, and Link gasped in horror as they turned a metallic black. Similar colored lines spread up his chest to his face, and his breathing hitched.

"You are in a lot of pain," he mumbled, voice low and rough, "and you have every right to be upset. But even from you, even from someone I cherish, I WILL. NOT. TOLERATE. SUCH. **INSULTS!** "

Ghirahim's scream was so loud that it shattered every mirror in the room. On top of that it sent Link into a panic attack. She threw up what little fluids were in her stomach and started hyperventilating, and before long red started seeping through the bandage on her neck.

"What the devil is going on in here?" Ezla announced, having come to investigate after being woken up. She gasped in horror when she saw Link on the floor, and immediately ran to her. "Great Goddesses, what did you do? Link? Link! Hang on!"

Ezla pulled a pin from her dress and used it to cut through Link's bandage, relieved to find only a single stitch had torn. She whispered to Link to calm her down, though by this point Link was a stone's throw from passing out. She turned to ask Ghirahim for help (his lashing can wait), but found him staring shocked at Link. He stumbled backward a bit, before turning and bolting out of the room. Not even Ezla's pleas could bring him back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter has a reference to a possible relationship between SS Link and Ghirahim. If that's not your cup of tea, you can skip to paragraph 6 without losing much.

Link had a nightmare, one so real it could have been a memory. She was standing in a large room, one decorated with mosaics and murals. It was so hot she thought her clothing would catch on fire, yet her skin stayed cool. She looked around, and soon spotted a man in a red cloak. He was facing the wall, studying one of the mosaics.

"We seem to bump into each other time and time again. Oh, it's no coincidence, though, is it? You and I, we're bound by a thread of fate." When he turned around, she could see it was the same man from before.

"Bound to play this dangerous game forever, I take it?" she responded, though not in her own voice. This voice was deeper, a male voice that matched her male body. She was living someone else's memories.

The man disappeared but then reappeared, wrapped around her body and licking at her ear. Her first instinct was to send a fist into his nose, but her body did not obey. Instead, a hand reached back and caressed his cheek before pulling his head into a brief kiss. "You won't get what you want from me. Even if we're bound by a thread of fate, I will never betray her. You can take my body as many times as you want, but you will never take my loyalty."

The gray man leaned back from Link and scowled. "Do you remember when I told you that the next time we met, I'd make your ears bleed from the sound of your own screams? I had intended it to be from screams of pleasure. But you are forcing my hand. If you will not love me, then I won't hold back. Come to me, Link. You and I, we're bound by that thread of fate. Destined to fight. So come close, Link! Meet me in battle, and the thread of fate that binds us will be soaked crimson with your blood!"

Link sat up screaming. Well, she would have been screaming had her voice still worked. But it was enough to startle the small child that had been sitting on the bed beside her into falling off. Link reacted quickly though and grabbed her hand, giving her an apologetic look.

"S'okay, my fault for waking you up." The silver haired little girl said. "Um, m'name's Navi. Ezla asked me to help change your bandages..."

Link perked up at the Minish's name. She gave Navi a pained look, trying to ask if Ezla was injured. Navi shook her head. "I'm not sure what you're trying to say... Do you want a paper to write it down?" She shook her head, momentarily forgetting the pain, and took the paper from Navi.

_'Why did you mention Ezla, where is she? Did that monster hurt her? Does her father know she's in trouble?'_

"I'm right here." Link looked up to see Ezla standing at the top of her pillow. "And I have quite the lecture for you, young lady."

Link flinched. Ezla's lectures were known for instilling fear into all who heard them. It was a skill she learned from her father, Link's former traveling companion Ezlo. The Minish girl loved adventuring, and had chosen to stay in Hyrule after her father returned to their homeland.

"I found the note you wrote to Ghirahim." Link had to think about the name. _Ghirahim? Who, oh, is that the gray man?_ "You melonhead!" Ezla was red, and shouted as loud as her little voice permitted. "How could you accuse him of such terrible things? Have you no idea what he went through to keep you alive? And you went and accused him of torturing you. He didn't give you that wound, those moblins and the bokoblin that attacked you did! The reason you can't speak is because your throat was slit so badly you were an inch from death! Ghirahim is the one who stitched you back together, idiot!

"But then you had to panic and dive off the bed, ripping your wound open. Not only that, but like a spoiled child you ungratefully lashed out at someone who loves you very much and hurt his feelings! We haven't been able to get him to come out for days! Thank the Goddesses that Navi was nearby and could help me sew you back up. If I were your size, I'd smack you across the face for being so ignorant."

Link was shocked. _That man had saved me? And Ezla said that he loves me? I don't even know who this man is, why would a stranger..._

_"Fairies are pretty. You're pretty too!"_

She blinked as a long forgotten conversation came back to her.

_"There's holes in your clothes. You're dressed funny."_

She gasped. He wasn't a stranger, he was the fairy that had saved her when she was lost in the forest as a child. He was kind to her, cleaned her up, gave her a present, and sent her back to her grampa. As a child she had a bit of a crush on him. She used to dream about the fairy man, and how she always wanted to meet him again and thank him. And now that she finally had the chance, what had she done? She cursed him. She accused him of ripping her voice out and called him a freak.

Link broke down and sobbed into her pillow. Her neck was in pain, but not as much as her heart. Now she wished that she had bled out in that grove.


	6. Chapter 6

No amount of pleading or prodding from Ezla and Navi was enough to get Link out of her depression. After learning the truth about Ghirahim, she had degenerated into a mindless husk. Two weeks had gone by, and Link hadn't moved from the bed. The only times she responded to either of the girls' pleas was when they tried to change the bandage or feed her. But even then, Link was listless, only opening her mouth enough for a spoon or two of broth.

"I'm worried," Ezla said, riding on Navi's shoulder as the girl carried the bowls back to the kitchen. "What can we do to break Link from this depression? I don't even know what caused it. I've already apologized countless times for yelling at her, but that didn't do anything. And aside from getting Ghirahim to come back and comfort her, I'm at a loss for ideas. Have your people any reliable ways of dealing with such a state?"

"Um, well m'lady Water Dragon used to heal people with her song, but she's been gone for so long... Maybe the Deku Sprout has some ideas," Navi suggested. She was a child of the forest, though in reality she was already a hundred years old. Her race had no name, though they were believed to be fairies in human form. "Or maybe one 'a the Great Ones could come visit. I think Venus lives nearby..." 

* * *

Rain pounded against the skylight, stirring Link out of another nightmare. This time she saw herself in the mind of an older man, maybe in his forties, walking through the ruins of a large sanctuary. He paused and smiled at a blue sword stuck in the ground, before exiting the sanctuary. He then walked behind a large female monument, and stared up into the sky.

"...I don't know if you can hear me, or if you even care." The man changed his gaze to the ground and flopped into a seated position, noticing how the fading sunlight glinted off his armor. "She's having her third, while my own didn't make it past our first. It's cruel, isn't it? But a fitting punishment, I suppose, for what I did. After all, you were only showing the same loyalty to your master that I showed to her, and had our positions been reversed, I would have done the same...

"You know I would never ask you to forgive me. But I want you to know that I won't forget. Did you know she wanted to tear that place down? Some nonsense about an evil aura coming from the temple. I stopped her, saying it would offend the locals. It's the least I can do, preserving the place where we first met in case we ever meet again..."

This was where Link woke, and she realized that a tear had escaped her eye. Whoever this man was, he was incredibly sorry for something, and it struck close to her heart. She had to apologize for what she said to Ghirahim.

Rolling to the edge of the bed, Link cautiously set foot on the floor. Two weeks of immobility had turned her legs to jelly, and it took all she had to keep standing. A nearby broom helped her keep balance, and she started for the door. The nightgown she was wearing didn't provide much protection from the cold air in the room, but she didn't care. She had to find him.

* * *

Ghirahim sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He was perched on a tree limb outside of the Skyview Temple, though he'd much rather be back in his home.

"It's not her fault," he mumbled to a bird that sat nearby, though he was mostly talking to himself. "She didn't know how much that word hurts, why did I have to be so stupid? Taking out on her the rage meant for her grandfather's grandfather's grandfather? Gah!"

Storm clouds moved in, though Ghirahim was so absorbed in his self-bashing that he didn't notice until he was soaked. He snapped his fingers and appeared in his underground hallway, tossing his soggy cape to the side. It was late, so the fairy girl and the rat should have already retired. He started for a certain room, but thought better of it. Now wasn't the time. She was barely eating, and he didn't want to scare her again, so he turned back for his own room.

On the way there, he heard a crash, like someone had knocked a table over. "Clumsy oaf," he cursed as he went to investigate, expecting to find Navi. He had no army anymore, so she was his only help. But when he turned the corner, lying amongst a broken table and vase was not the forest girl, but his skychild. He gasped and bolted over to her. She was lucid to an extent- she didn't realize he was there and instead stared at her hand, which had been nicked by the vase and was leaking red. Ghirahim pulled off one of his gloves to use as a bandage, and she finally noticed him as he finished tying it.

Link sat up and hugged him, burying her face in his chest and sobbing.

"Skychild? What's wrong, does something hurt? Why are you out of bed?" Ghirahim rubbed her head and back, trying to make her calm down. After a few minutes, Link leaned back and met his eyes. She sniffed and pointed to his chest, then made a breaking motion with her hands before hanging her head.

"Broken? Is that what you're trying to say? Forget the vase, it's nothing to cry over." Link shook her head slowly, and poked at his chest again, this time trailing her finger up his face. She pushed his long fringe back revealing the tattoo beneath his eye, and then traced a line under it with her other finger.

"Oh," he said as he realized what she was getting at- not broken, _snapped_. "You mean what happened last fortnight... Forget you ever saw it. I didn't mean to frighten you..."

"s...."

Ghirahim leaned back, caught off guard by the small noise coming from his companion.

".....a......rr..."

Link's expression was a mix of pain and determination as she did her best to speak. Her fortnight of listlessness had a positive side effect, and she had healed enough to grunt and moan. But she wanted to badly to apologize, and threw her all into that one word despite the obstacle. 

"rii..."

"Shh, Link, don't say anymore, I understand," Ghirahim whispered as he wiped a tear from her cheek. "You did nothing wrong, I was the one who over reacted. Come, let's get you back to bed and I'll explain the whole thing."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets a little heavy into the headcanon, if you know what I mean. Nothing explicit, but there are more shounen ai references.... I promise this really is a Minish Cap story and not a Skyward Sword one... orz

"...I don't like it when people criticize me," Ghirahim started, having carried Link back to bed. He properly bandaged her palm, relieved that it was only a shallow cut. "I think it comes from the time I spent with my Master. He would always put me down, even though he valued my assistance. Granted, I would do anything for him, but there were times when he was vicious. Too vicious..."

Link sat and stared at him, her dream coming back to her. The man, was that the same one from her first nightmare? If so, was he lamenting over Ghirahim behind that statue?

"Someone I deeply cared for called me that name once," he continued, "on the very same day he cast me aside. So it felt like history was repeating itself... I lost my temper, and I have a hard time controlling my body when I do. That's why my skin blackened, and I didn't realize I had hurt you until I saw you convulsing on the floor after Ezla shouted at me. After that, I was too afraid to see you again."

Ghirahim looked like he wanted to flee, and didn't make eye contact with Link. So she grabbed his head and forced it up, giving him a small smile. She then looked around the room, and pointed when she found what she was looking for, her belt. He got up and brought it to her, and she pulled out a small bundle for him. Inside was an old, well handled rupee.

"You... you kept this?" he mumbled with a grin, recognizing the red stone he had given to the four year old Link. She nodded, but then cast her own eyes downward. Sensing that she had something to say, Ghirahim handed her a pen.

' _I'm so sorry for saying that to you,'_ she wrote. ' _I guess I panicked when I realized I was injured. I always wanted to see you again, and to thank you for being kind to me. But in my injured haze, I mistook you for Vaati, and assumed that my voice was taken as punishment. He told me several times that I was poison to his ears... And then I said those things to you... When Ezla told me how you felt, I wanted to die. Even more so after I saw him regret what happened between you two..."_

Ghirahim stopped Link from writing. "Wait, what do you mean, 'saw him regret'? Who are you talking about, skychild?"

' _I saw it in a dream. A man, older than me but similar in looks. He was apologizing to someone for wronging them, and he was heartbroken that he damned this person for doing the same thing he was doing. He said they were only showing the same loyalty to their master as he was to her...'_

 _Her... her..._ Ghirahim's eyes grew wide when he figured it out. "This man, did he have sharp, nearly square blue eyes, golden brown hair, small pointy ears?"

' _He was worn out, so it was hard to tell. But he kept stating at his right palm, and there was a scar poking out from his gauntlet._ '

"That's because I drove a dagger through it on the day we parted." Ghirahim smiled sadly, remembering their last moment. "You are reliving his memories through your dreams. He was your ancestor."

Link sat in Ghirahim's lap as he explained his life to her, from the war that imprisoned his master, to the tornado he summoned to rip Hylia's reincarnation from the sky. "I did expect to encounter resistance when I chased the girl, but not in the form it took. We met for the first time in the room above, and I was quite taken with his beauty. I let him know as much, and he surprised me by saying I was 'strangely attractive' in my own right. Fate decreed that we battle, and so we did. But not before he let me taste his kiss.

"We met a few times after that, each time beginning with love and ending with pain. I suspect he never knew how I kept his body safe as he grew his spirit, or how I kept creatures at bay when he was vulnerable. But all the same, that damned day came where he impaled me and spit such poison into my ears... In my rage I drove a dagger into his palm, cursing the hand that had raised a sword against me. After that, I began to think that the times we held each other were bluffs to distract me from my goals. So, when my master was defeated and I was free, I chose to keep away. I was damaged, and thus I became a sword in repose, waiting for the master that I knew would never come claim me."

Link broke down crying at the sad tale, hugging Ghirahim tightly and trying to shake the words from her ears. "Don't cry, Link," he whispered, smoothing her hair. "I'm glad it ended up this way. Because I found a new master, one that I know would never cast me aside."

The two looked at each other and smiled, and Ghirahim wiped away Link's remaining tears. She responded by brushing his fringe behind his ear and running her thumb along his diamond tattoo, smiling as she remembered comparing his eyeliner to fingerpaint.

"...pre...tty..."

Ghirahim pulled the skychild to his lips, and with a snap of his fingers, the candles in the room went out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go, canon. Now Link's a leftie again. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTE THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REVISED!! It now makes a little more sense, at least to me. :3

Morning came, and as usual Navi brought breakfast and bandages to Link's room. No sooner had she opened the door than Ezla erupted into a lecture, taking an obvious hint from the clothing strewn about the floor. "What in the name of the Great Goddesses are you doing?! Taking advantage of a poor innocent girl, not to mention one who's injured? Fiend! Tramp! Scoundrel!"

Ghirahim growled in response, ignoring the "little rat's" comments as he snuggled closer to the sleeping girl. He loved how her skin was soft and smooth, a result of having started her adventure far later than the previous skychild. Her lack of scars brought a smile to his lips, and he squeezed her tighter, accidentally waking her.

Link fluttered her eyes, and when she saw Ghirahim smiling at her, she returned his embrace. She didn't even notice who else was in the room. "Look at that, Ezla, it's not what you think," Navi whispered to the Minish on her shoulder. "Besides, weren't we just trying to snap her out of depression? Looks like he found a way."

Ezla admitted defeat, though she wasn't about to approve. "AHEM." Her cough drew a nasty glare from Ghirahim, but it succeeded in getting Link's attention. She blushed and dove under her blanket. "So, you seem well enough to play. I guess that makes you well enough to feed yourself. Navi! Set the plate down and let Miss Link deal with it. When she's done, she can fix her own bandage and clean up all the clothes on the floor."

"Don't be mean, Ezla. Link's an adult, she can have a lover if she wants one," Navi said with a smile, setting the breakfast tray on the table beside the bed. "I think it's great that she's finally got someone to confide in. Don't you think so, Sir?"

"What do you mean by that?" Ghirahim sat up, puzzled. "Skychild, have you no comrades?" Link started shivering under the blanket, as if the question froze her. Navi gulped after realizing that she had mentioned something she shouldn't, and looked to Ezla for advice.

"Sigh... What Navi means is that her own people don't celebrate her as they once did. Twelve years ago, Link was everyone's hero. Now, she is largely unknown. I suppose my people are partially to blame," Ezla explained. "We usually don't allow ourselves to be seen by adults, so it has turned into a sort of 'legend' that we can only be seen by children. Link has done so much for us and she is a friend to all, so we don't use our magic to hide from her. But people assumed she was making up stories that she could still see us, and they assume she was crazy."

Ghirahim snarled and balled his fist. "Leave it to Hylians to be so selfish. Don't worry Link, I'll help them change their minds."

"No..." Link pulled down her blanket and laid a hand on his wrist, sensing his irritation. The last thing she wanted was for him to bully anyone. She motioned for Navi to bring her a pen and paper, then wrote him an explanation.

_'You don't need to worry about me. I have plenty of friends among Ezla and the Minish, and now you and Navi. It's enough for me to have only a few sincere, close friends as opposed to many distant ones. Besides, I have a feeling my new lover is the jealous type...'_

"You bet your little green hat I'm the jealous type," Ghirahim laughed after reading the note. "And you better be prepared, because I'm going to stick like glue to you for the rest of your life."

And stick like glue he did. Link's recovery was slow, and all the red and blue potions in Hyrule weren't enough to undo such a horrific gash. Even Ghirahim's demon magic didn't do more than ease the pain. But she was thankful, even more so for the friendship they had developed.

* * *

"Ack! Quit fidgeting, skychild! You may not feel it, but you're making me jab at the injured skin," Ghirahim hissed as he cleaned the crusted blood from her gash. "And stop that laughing, too!"

Link mussed the demon's hair as he tended to her, unable to contain her giggling. He was a fussy nurse, and always pinned his long fringe back in order to see her wound clearly. His serious gaze combined with the silly pin job amused her to no end, and there were times Ghirahim felt like she was back to her four year old self.

"It's not that funny! Stop it!"

But Link couldn't, and instead kissed the tip of his nose. When he was finished, they curled up on a couch together, watching the birds fly in through the cracked temple ceiling. Link laid her chin in Ghirahim's hair, and soon lost all interest in the wildlife.

"Ear..." she mumbled as she rubbed his stunted ear, voice not yet at full strength.

"If you're just noticing that now, skychild, then perhaps I need to get you a pair of glasses."

Link pulled on it in jest, before asking, "why?"

"Well, it's a long story, but suffice to say I didn't listen."

Link sat up, horrified. They didn't talk about him much, but she knew he was referring to his old master. "No..."

"Yes. He told me to do something, and I didn't do it, plain and simple. This was the result." Ghirahim grimaced just thinking about it. "He said since I didn't listen, I must need new ears... Oh, Link, stop crying, I barely felt it."

She hugged him tightly. "Poor thing..."

"You're so sappy, you know that, skychild?" He returned her embrace, and wiped her cheeks. "Don't waste tears on actions of the past. That man is dead, and will never come back."

**Ten years later...**

"I wanna start a family," Ghirahim announced as he lay in the grass behind the remains of the Sealed Temple, his head planted squarely on Link's lap. "Make me a baby."

Link flicked his nose, and laughed as the demon dramatically yelped in pain. "I know you're sad that Navi left us, but you should be happy for her. When her training is done, she'll be reborn as a fairy in the service of the Deku Sprout. Besides, I'm a little too old to be having children."

"Mu. Then let's go steal a kid from one of those ungrateful townsfolk." Ghirahim kept teasing Link, and his plan worked- she kissed him to shut him up. The two had just finished their annual check of the Four Sword, with not a moblin in sight. The two goofed around in the grass, and Ghirahim was about to slide a hand up Link's shirt when he heard the faint sound of shouting.

"What is it?" Link asked , before she too heard it. They got up and followed the sound to a group of Minish arguing near a red stain on the ground.

"I'm telling you, this is none of our concern!" a few forest Minish insisted.

"And I'm telling you it IS." Link immediately recognized the voice as Ezla's. "If we let this go, things will get much, MUCH worse!"

"You rats are so noisy," Ghirahim interrupted, causing the lot to turn to the pair.

"Miss Link! Thank the Goddesses you're here," Ezla exclaimed. The Minish had returned to live with her people five years earlier, but she still kept in touch with Link. And now, it seemed like Ezla might need her assistance. "Look at this, it's blood! Someone was hurt here, and I'm getting a very bad omen from it. I think **he** might be responsible."

"Vaati? But we checked the blade this morning, the seal was intact." Link leaned closer to the blood, and studied it. "But you're right, something is strange. Ghirahim, will you come with me to check it out?"

Ghirahim nodded, and so Link collected Ezla and followed the trampled underbrush. It led west, out of the forest into an area Ghirahim referred to as Lanayru Province. There, on the edge of the forest lay a heavily injured woman. The color of her skin and hair told them that she was not Hylian. A small boy was at her side, crying and trying to pull her up.

Link ran over to her. "What happened? Tell me where you were hurt so I can help!" Tears ran out from the boy's golden eyes, and he clung to Link's shirt as she tried to treat his mother.

"We were... visiting... Monster attacked... Shadow..." Her breathing was getting shallow, and Link looked to Ghirahim for help. He grabbed the woman's head and stared into her eyes, using his magic to communicate. The woman didn't last long, however, and her breathing soon stopped.

"She said she was an ambassador on her way to the castle, when a shadow being attacked her. She tried to make it back home, but this is as far as she got. She wants us to take care of the boy."

Ezla and Link looked at each other, before turning to the boy. His little brown cheeks were stained with tears, so Link pulled out a cloth to wipe them away. "Shh, shh. It's okay, your Mama isn't in any more pain." The little boy's sniffling gradually came to an end, so Link cleaned off his face. Ghirahim's eyes narrowed as she brushed the boy's bangs out of his eyes, revealing a faint scar between his red eyebrows. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Ga...non..."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the brevity of this chapter; I developed a little writer's block and wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this. But I definitely want it to continue, and I want all of you to know I intend to keep going. So here's what I've come up with, I'll try and write some more soon! I figured shifting to Ghirahim's POV was easier, so that might be how I'll proceed.

Link headed back to the Skyview Temple, the exhausted little boy in her arms. Ghirahim had remained behind to bury the boy's mother, mumbling something about "keeping his distance", which Link took to mean that he was concerned about the boy's emotional state. Boy, was she wrong.

"Curses. Curses, curses, CURSES!" Ghirahim growled as he thrust his shovel into the dirt. "I HATE curses! Why does he have to do this to me now, why? We were finally happy together!" A few angry thrusts later he was finished laying the poor ambassador to rest, and he slumped against a nearby tree. "Shit."

"And just what are you griping about?"

Ghirahim looked around, then realized the voice was coming from his lap. Ezla stood on his knee, tapping her little foot in a huff. "Go away, termite. I'm not in the mood to play exterminator."

"Listen here, Mr. Fabulous. I heard your whole rant. What's the problem, can't share your precious Skychild? That little boy needs someone to depend on right now, so you better stop blaming him for disturbing your peace!"

Ghirahim cocked his brow at the Minish. She was yelling at him and she didn't even understand what the problem was. "Listen, rat. You don't know a damn thing about me, so you don't have the right to lecture. And I don't have to explain my reasons to you for what I say. Begone."

"Well if you're not going to explain to me, you better explain to your wife."

"You sniveling rat, get lost before I turn you into a Kikwi!" Ezla ran off, with more of an amused look on her face than a terrified one. Ghirahim sighed.

_Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. So the kid has a scar, big deal. There are lots of red haired humans around (like that big oaf with the hideous hair), and brown skin is very common. It doesn't mean he's here to ruin my life._

Ghirahim made it back to the temple, in time to see Link giving the child a bath. He stared the boy down, noting that he lacked the multitude of scars that Demise held. The boy was in good spirits, another thing that set him apart from the former demon king.

"Ghirahim, you're back, good. Do you have anything small that Ganon could wear? His clothing is stained." Link picked the little boy up from the tub and dried his red hair. "Aww, you're such a cute little boy..."

Ganon sniffled but returned the smile. "Dat's what Mama used to say. She's gone, isn't she?"

Ghirahim answered frankly. "Yes. Do you remember what happened? I'm rather shocked that whatever finished her off left you to survive."

"Ghirahim!"

"No, Link. He needs to tell us what happened. Go on, boy."

Ganon stared at the demon lord, before mumbling a reply. "...A dark man hurt Mama. He had dark clothes and dark hair and dark skin and he kinda looked like Miss Link. "

"My shadow..." Link frowned "I just don't get it. Vaati only tried that magic on me once, and it barely worked. Even then, it was a female shadow. So someone else must have created this one."

"Someone who didn't know that this era's Skychild was female." _Someone who would want to ensure this kid's survival..._


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please, PLEASE go back and reread chapter 8. I've revised and updated it, now that I know where I'm going. Unfortunately I don't think this site notifies followers of revisions, so I just want to give everyone a heads up. A big thank you to everyone who has been patient, I'm sorry this story was taking so long to continue. Hugs to all those who have give kudos, bookmarked, and commented! :)

Ghirahim sat atop the Skyview Temple, brooding. He really didn't sense any evil energy from the boy, but he couldn't help his uneasiness.

"She really does make a good mother, doesn't she?" he remarked to himself, as he watched Link and Ganon play in the field below. The little boy had attached himself quite easily to Link, and while he mourned his mother, he had no problems springing back into daily life.

"Gan, do you want to play hide and seek?" Link asked after being beaten in a card game for the fifth time. At least with this game, she stood a chance.

"Yup! But you gotta give me more times cause I don't know all the good spots yet."

"Okay. You can hide anywhere but inside the temple. I'll give you until 150. Ready? One, two, three..."

Ganon waited until he was sure Link wasn't looking, before turning around and bolting for the temple entrance. Ghirahim scoffed. _Someone doesn't know how to listen._ But instead of running inside, Ganon climbed up a patch of vines growing along the entrance arch and ducked down behind the flower crest.

"Hee hee, she won't find me here!"

"You're right, she won't. Especially not after you fall through the crumbling facade and get crushed beneath these stones."

Ganon yelped as Ghirahim plucked him up by his collar, and for emphasis, the demon stomped down on the loose stonework. "See that fallen brick? That could have been you. Not that I care, but it would devastate Link to find you crushed and bleeding out."

"Aww, lemme go Ghiraham, you're gonna make me lose!"

"It's GhiraHIM, you twerp, and I will not have such a weakling ordering me around. You want to win? Fine, I'll help you." With a snap of his fingers, the two teleported to the very top of the temple.

"Waaah! Too high!" Ganon shouted, clinging to Ghirahim's neck. "I wanna go back down! Back down!"

"Man up, kid, this height is nothing. If you want to be able to protect the ones you love, and stop another tragedy like the one that took your mother, you'll need to be brave." Ghirahim pointed down at Link, who was running around the field upturning every rock she came across. "See Link down there? I can tell even from up here that she's scared something might have happened to you, because she hasn't found you yet. But is she crying in a corner? No. She's working through her fear. You need to follow that example. Now climb down on your own."

Ghirahim disappeared, leaving Ganon clinging to a spire. The boy immediately started crying and shouting for help. Ghirahim stayed close and ensured nothing happened to him, but refused to intervene. _Let's see if you have any of_ _ **his**_ _strength in you._

When he realized no one would save him, Ganon hesitantly tried climbing down. He made a little progress, until one of the outcroppings crumbled under his feet and he tumbled down into the temple interior.

Ghirahim made sure Ganon landed with minimal pain, but at the same time he wanted to push the little boy. So he cleared the temple of enemies, reset all the traps and puzzles, and then teleported away so that if even the tiniest amount of Demise lingered inside the boy, it wouldn't sense the demon's presence.

"That should do it," he mumbled as he emerged from the temple, only to be grabbed and shook by a teary eyed Link.

"Oh, Ghirahim, there you are! You have to help, I can't find Ganon, and I'm worried he might be lost!"

"He's in there," Ghirahim motioned behind. "On purpose. Don't fret, he'll come out in one piece."

Link's eyes widened, and she gasped in horror. "For Goddesses' sake, he's no more than five years old! Move, I'm going in after him!"

"No you're not." Ghirahim grabbed Link's collar and lifted her up, just like he did with Ganon. "I cleared the aboveground temple of monsters and spiders. All I want to see is if the boy can handle himself."

"But why? It was hell doing those temples when I was twelve, imagine how scared he must be..."

"Have faith in the boy," Ghirahim sighed as he held Link close. "When he comes out, I'll tell you why I did this. Just trust me."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is short, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer...

Link did her best to remain calm, but after twelve hours of waiting she had enough. "I can't believe you would do something like this to a poor little boy! What kind of parent leaves their child to freeze in a dark, dangerous environment?!"

"Look, for one I said he was safe. And two, in case you forgot, I'm not his parent."

"Well you certainly aren't with that attitude!" Link shoved Ghirahim out of her way after pulling on her sword belt. She mumbled under her breath as she cleared debris from the entrance, "and to think I was actually considering what you asked that day..."

"I'm honored you want to carry one of my own, Skychild, but like I said, you need to trust me." Despite his protests, Ghirahim snapped away the debris for Link. "Maybe if I told you why I did it, you would understand. The little snot resembles someone I never want to see again. Right down to the red hair and scar between his eyebrows."

"You're imagining things! Gan is just a sweet little five year old, who the Goddesses entrusted to our care. We promised in our vows to each other that we would love and cherish our family, and now he's a part of it!" Link was distraught, so much so that she stopped in her tracks and plopped down on the ground. "...I can't see."

"Of course you can't, your eyes are filled with tears. Don't fret, I'll take us to him." Ghirahim felt remorseful; after all he did make a speech to the boy about how dangerous the temple was, but then went and threw him inside to fend for himself. And of course he meant what he said the day he and Link celebrated their union. He really hated how selfish he was. "Forgive my foolishness, Link. I didn't mean to upset you."

Ghirahim sat beside Link and wiped her tears, giving her time to calm down. When she was ready, he then picked her up and teleported ahead. Ganon's presence was coming from the center of the temple, in the very room where Ghirahim first met Link's ancestor. The pair looked around when they arrived, but saw no trace of the little boy. "Strange, I distinctly feel his aura coming from this room. Call to him, he likes you more than me."

"Ganon? Honey, are you here? It's okay, I'll throttle Ghirahim for what he's done later, just please come out..." Link searched amongst the rubble in the room, pieces of the ceiling that had long since collapsed, overgrown brush, and old creature nests, but no sign of the boy. Ghirahim teleported to the roof to make sure Ganon wasn't stuck somewhere, while Link peeked through the ornate door in the back. Nothing.

Suddenly, a dark force appeared from the shadows and threw Link into the center by her hair. Her scream alerted Ghirahim, who appeared in time to block the shadow from harming her further.

"What are you and how DARE you attack my Skychild?" Ghirahim's rapier went through the shadow's wispy form like water, doing little to dissipate it.

"Heh, your strikes won't affect me, traitor."

"WHERE IS GANON?!" Link screamed and cursed at the shadow as Ghirahim tried to damage it with spells, but neither had any luck.

"You're worried about your _widdle baybee_? Aww, how motherly. Figures, you make the hero into a woman and they get soft." The shadow's wispy form changed into that of a man, causing Ghirahim to drop his rapier in shock. Standing before them was an exact copy of the past Skychild, with ashy skin and piercing red eyes. A Dark Link.

Ghirahim snarled. "No, this is a trick. Return the boy, demon, I won't be swayed by visages of the dead."

"What's the matter, _Lord Ghirahim_ , didn't you love your Skychild? Oh, that's right, he didn't want to be with a freak like you..."

Link swiftly grabbed a dagger from Ghirahim's belt and whipped it at Dark Link, catching the shadow off guard and nicking his forehead. She jumped to her feet and charged, but Dark Link dissipated back into the shadow. "Come back out and fight, you coward!"

Evil laughing reverberated through the room, as the remaining shadows vanished. "I'd love to play with you, mommy, but I'm afraid I can't stall any longer. Preparations must be made- it's time to resurrect my master, and my little guest has the honor of serving as his host."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For starters, my apologies for the insane length of time between updates. I kind of forgot where I was going with this story, and let it fall by the wayside. But I think I've figured something out that will work. I guess the problem was that this game wasn't one of my favorites (the story was fine, I just really disliked the control system).
> 
> Anyway, I'll try to keep at the story.

Ganon screamed and cried as a horde of bokoblins held him down and strapped him to a table, in a filthy and damp chamber. He was scared after Ghirahim left him alone on top of the temple, but utterly terrified when he fell inside. He had landed in the center of a large hall, with just enough light streaming through to reflect off the surroundings. When he spotted a door he ran towards it, but something caught his foot and grabbed him. Now those same monsters were going to finish him off, just like they did to his birth mother.

"Oh, that BITCH!" Ganon shuddered as a shadow swirled into form in the center of the room, clutching its head as it took the shape of a man. "Years of hatred and regret go into this form, and she damages it with a lucky strike..." When he glanced over and saw that Ganon was still conscious, his anger increased. "WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS DOING?! I told you to have the boy ready!"

Ganon wailed as Dark Link stood over him, and began trembling as the shadow held his hand out to cast a spell. "Oh, stop whining, kid. It won't hurt near as much as when we killed your mother."

Upon hearing this, Ganon's eyes widened and he suddenly began thrashing. "You monsters! My mommy loved me and took me in even though Ghiraham didn't want to! I'll kill you!"

"You idiot, I meant your real mother. That foolish blonde is still alive, she's the one who... ARGH!" Dark Link realized it was pointless to continue this tirade, and refocused on casting the spell to knock out Ganon without harming him. However, Ganon's thrashing had loosened the ties, and he was able to slip off the table.

Upon realizing he could escape, Ganon slipped out of his restraints and dashed away from the horde, ducking into a small opening beneath a crumbled wall. When he emerged on the other side, the small ledge crumbled beneath him and sent him tumbling down into a crater filled with debris. The ambient light filling the area was just enough for him to make out the surroundings, and the material comprising the crater made his skin crawl. Skulls and bones.

Ganon scrambled to find a way out of the macabre pit, but there was no use. Everything in this underground chamber seemed to be made from some type of remains, with the exception of a metal pipe leading up the side wall, and a spidery strand dangling from the center of the ceiling. He could hear Dark Link shouting at the monsters to find him, and he had to move fast. Seeing no other way out, he decided to try climbing the strand.

* * *

"My baby, you have to find my baby!"

Link was in hysterics as Ghirahim led her out of the Skyview Temple and into the spring, having determined that Ganon's aura was no longer in the building. "Come on, Skychild, you got a bump on your head from being thrown around. The water here will soothe it."

Link squirmed as Ghirahim made her lie down on the pathway, and fussed as he pulled off her cap and used it to soak up the spring water. "We don't have time for this! You have to search for him!"

"I can do two things at once," he corrected, pressing the cap to the knot on her head and focusing on the surrounding wood. "They're not in the area around this temple, or their presence would be overwhelming. I still faintly sense Ganon's aura, so they're somewhere in Faron Woods."

"Then let's GO!"

"Hold it," Ghirahim once more grabbed Link as she was rearing to bolt, and laid her back down to rest. "You saw how hard it was for us to hit that shadow. Nothing I did worked, and you only got him because he was off guard. I hate to suggest it, but we might need a more powerful weapon."

Link looked up at him with skepticism. "What weapon? What are you talking about?"

Ghirahim rolled his eyes, and sighed. "...The one in the Sealed Temple. Or what's left of it. Problem is, she hates me and probably won't want to help you, especially when she finds out who the little guy we're trying to save looks like. You see, she kinda gave him that scar."

Completely confused, Link sat up and started shaking her love. "What?! Who hurt my Gan?"

"I better just show you."

Ghirahim teleported them to the remains of the Sealed Temple, which Link recognized as the strange circular valley beneath the hill where the Four Sword rested. He led her into the remains of a large stone building, and after pushing some rubble aside, revealed a pedestal holding a dirty blue and silver sword.

"Ah, why do you let yourself get so filthy?" Ghirahim sneered at the sword's grimy appearance, after which a faint glow begin emanating from the blade.

"Ghirahim!" Link gasped as the glow intensified. "Is this another sword spirit?"

"Didn't you study your history before you worked for that snotty Zelda? This is the legendary Master Sword, or as I knew her, the uppity Goddess Brat Fi."

"...That designation is incorrect."

Link jumped back as a robotic yet light voice filled the air, and the glow coming from the sword reached its peak. After a bright flash, a ghostly visage appeared in front of the blade, somewhat resembling Ghirahim's demon form. "My proper designation is simply Fi."

"Nice to meet you..." Link nodded her head, but was slightly creeped out by the way Fi stared at her. "Do, do you know me?"

"You are the descendent of the Hero, and the one who sealed the evil Vaati in the Four Sword located on the hill behind this temple," Fi answered matter of fact. "However, it is most concerning as to why you have aligned yourself with Demon Lord Ghirahim. He is not to be trusted."

Link gasped, and turned to Ghirahim. "I told you she doesn't like me," he shrugged.

"Which is why it is curious that you have come here and awoken me after all this time," Fi retorted, turning to him. "What are you planning?"

"We've come for your help," Link answered. "My... _Our_ child was kidnapped by an evil shadow of unknown origin. We need your help rescuing him."

"He's taken the form of your old master," Ghirahim added, gaining Fi's attention. "And he wants to use the boy to resurrect Demise. Something _none_ of us want."

"Ghirahim will track them down, but if we have any hope of saving Ganon, we need a weapon that can actually harm them. None of our weapons work unless he's completely off guard, but Ghirahim thinks you can hurt this Dark Link without a hitch. Will you help us? Please?" Link pleaded for Fi's help, but Fi merely shook her head.

"If it is true that this shadow has taken the form of my old master, then it was likely formed from a combination of his hatred and regret," Fi explained. "Master Link had some... interesting feelings toward Ghirahim, and given the way his life went after Demise was destroyed, it is very possible that those feelings were spun off by Demise's curse into something tangible."

"Then how the fuck are we supposed to defeat them?" Ghirahim erupted into a fit, and began kicking debris around until Link intervened.

"I believe that the best way to confront those feelings is if the two of you work through them as a couple." Fi recognized the blank stares on Link and Ghirahim's faces as confusion. "Perhaps I was not clear enough with my suggested strategy. Link, you may be able to banish the Dark Link by wielding Ghirahim in his sword form. That way Ghirahim is literally 'working through the regrets of his former lover', so to speak."

Ghirahim gasped. "I can't let her touch me in my sword form! Putting aside _the last person who wielded me_ , the blade was cursed with dark energy at one point and corrupts whatever touches it!"

"Well, I touched it before and didn't get corrupted," Link mumbled, catching a nasty glare. "But more importantly, even in sword form, Ghirahim is still bigger than I am. Assuming I could even lift it, how would I ever wield the thing?"

"I am afraid this is the only advice I can give you," Fi admitted, and withdrew into the Master Sword. As her glow disappeared, Ghirahim began pacing back and forth.

"This is great, just great. I knew she wouldn't be of any use."

"But she did give us some useful information," Link admitted.

"You are not touching me in my sword form," Ghirahim declared. "No exceptions."

"I did it when I was a baby, and I turned out fine."

"Your throat was slit by a bokoblin and you almost died in my arms. Not fine."

Link huffed and threw a clod of dirt at him. "...Have you found our son yet?"

" _'Our son...'_ " Ghirahim focused on the area, and could sense something from the southeast. "Actually, there's something coming from the Floria region."

Link wasted no more time arguing, instead she grabbed her belt and bolted into the woods.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that Ganon is about 5 years old.

"'The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout...'"

Ganon tried his best to keep climbing, remembering how his birth mother taught him to climb up a rope in the caves of Lanayru. Of course, those ropes had knots in them to grip on, and weren't this long... Ganon was even more worried because his hands were getting sweaty, and if he slipped and fell from here, he would certainly...

_"See that fallen brick? That could have been you. Not that I care, but it would devastate Link to find you crushed and bleeding out."_

"No, keep going! I'm not gunna fall!" Ganon kept focused, and resumed his little song as he climbed. "'Itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again...'"

Suddenly there was more light, and Ganon could see a ledge just ahead. After a few more minutes of climbing, he was able to pull himself up and onto a landing overlooking a large statue submerged in a pool. As a precaution, he grabbed the rope and pulled it up onto the landing with him so no one would follow him. However, he now faced a rather challenging dilemma. He could see an entryway on the other side of the giant statue, but he didn't know how to swim and was afraid of trying to reach it.

"I'm scared... hic... Mommy..."

* * *

"I have an idea about where Ganon might be," Link shouted to Ghirahim, as they ran off into Faron Woods. "My grandfather used to tell me a story, about the lily pond and the spider's thread. The story was about a god who could see the rotten souls of the dead through the clear lily pond, and lowered a single strand through to allow a man who had done one good deed in his life to climb back up. My grandfather said that there used to be a temple in the forest a long time ago that was built just like the story, right down to the spider's thread. He even claimed that his ancestor had to climb up that very string."

"It's true, he did," Ghirahim confirmed with an amusing tone. "I remember the look on his face when he ran through the door at the apex and saw me. Not a happy camper..."

"So you know the place?"

"Yeah, they called it the 'Ancient Cistern' if I recall correctly," he mumbled. "It's right at the top of the Floria Waterfall. Big, nasty place with a real 'serene' vibe to it. Has a giant statue right in the center that's shaped like a man in meditation."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Grandfather's stories make it sound like the perfect place for an evil hideout," she explained. "And if it really is a cistern, that makes it worse because I don't think Ganon knows how to swim."

Ghirahim rolled his eyes, but couldn't help smiling at Link's motherly concern. "Well then, we'll just have to give the little tot some swimming lessons when we get him back, won't we?" Ganon may have squirmed into their lives and stolen some of Link's attention away, but Ghirahim loved Link with everything he had. And if she was attached to the runt, he'd just have to attach to him too.

The pair soon passed through the gate separating the area of what came to be known as the Minish Woods from Faron proper, and stopped as Ghirahim looked around. "There used to be a shortcut somewhere up... There." He pointed to a high ledge, leading to Lake Floria. "The Cistern is just beyond that ridge." Scooping up Link, the two teleported to the top.

As soon as they were on steady ground, Link bolted off on her own, ignoring Ghirahim's pleas to stay with him. She slashed through the heavy undergrowth, and quickly found a stone bridge submerged within a waterfall pool. Remembering Ghirahim's earlier description, she followed the bridge and forced her way through the waterfall, emerging on the other side and discovering the covered over entrance to the Ancient Cistern.

Various chunks of rubble and collapsed stone beams blocked the entrance, but that didn't stop her. Cutting away what she could and climbing over what wouldn't budge, Link attempted to squeeze her way in. She only had trouble when she tried to kick off a piece of stone for momentum, accidentally kicking a support beam loose and causing two heavier pieces to sandwich her beneath them. She cried out as they smashed down on her stomach.

"...You know, you're not twelve anymore."

Trying to hide the tears that had built up from the pain, Link acknowledged Ghirahim's presence. "I know, I just..."

"So don't go squeezing into child size crannies." Ghirahim snapped away the debris, and caught Link as she fell out. "Don't worry, we'll find him. Then we'll figure out a way to beat the shadow demon that doesn't involve cursing you. Sound good?"

Link forced a smile, and leaned on Ghirahim as they descended into the temple. The idea of fighting the Dark Link worried her, since they had very few weapons that would even harm him. Hopefully, they would find Ganon quickly so they could search for more answers.

"What weapons did you find while fighting Vaati?" Ghirahim asked as they descended into the Ancient Cistern. "Do you have something that would knock him down easily? It might come in handy for this Dark Link creature..."

"I have one thing," Link admitted, "but I've been keeping it locked away in case Vaati returns. A powerful magic called the Light Arrow... Only we can't risk using it. With Ezlo and his magic gone from this realm, it is the only thing that can vanquish Vaati."

Skeptical, Ghirahim raised his eyebrow and scoffed. "Surely the Master Sword could take care of a scamp like Vaati..."

Link shook her head. "I can't take that chance. Vaati is a greater threat than this Dark Link will ever be. As long as we get Ganon back and keep him safe, nothing will happen."

"You've obviously never met Demise," Ghirahim muttered as they reached the end of their descent, with the great stone statue coming into view. The temple itself was no longer the bright and shining place it had been during Ghirahim's last visit, but light seeping in through various cracks and skylights provided enough illumination for a basic survey.

Link glanced around, before shaking her head. "Oh... Where do we even start? This place is dreary, and with all the water, it will be hard to search certain..."

"MOMMY!"

With a start, Link and Ghirahim turned to the source of the voice, and found Ganon crying on a high ledge at the back of the temple. Ghirahim quickly teleported them to his side, and Link rushed over and pulled him into her arms.

"Oh, my baby, are you okay? Did those monsters hurt you?" Link promptly began pressing kisses to every inch of Ganon's skin, stopping in horror when she spotted his chafed and calloused hands. "Great Goddesses, what happened?!"

"Sniff... The monsters got me and tied me to a table, but I got away and then I found this rope," Ganon pointed to the spider's thread, piled up beside him. "The only way out was to climb up, or else they were gunna find me..."

"Here you are, you little shit!"

There was barely any time to react as Dark Link appeared on the ledge, but Link was the first to notice and quickly locked her arms around Ganon's belly before diving off the platform. She braced herself for an impact against the water, but shock hit her instead as she smacked into the dense vegetation of Faron Woods.

"...Mommy, where are we? What happened?" Ganon looked around from his position on Link's belly, spotting a few birds digging for worms nearby. "Are we safe?"

"I..." Getting her bearings, Link realized that Ghirahim must have teleported them here. But as she sat up, she couldn't see the demon lord anywhere. "Ghirahim? Ghirahim!"

"Did he stay behind to fight the monsters?"

Link looked to the scared little boy in her lap, who had now seen more than his fair share of death and danger. "...I don't know, honey. But if he did, we better not waste his favor by staying here. Let's go somewhere that monsters are afraid to go. I know just the place."

Ganon nodded, and climbed up on Link's back so she could be free to slash at any stray obstacles in their path. Link winced as she stood, pain from the temple entrance incident still lingering in her stomach, but she quickly set out for the remains of the Sealed Temple. If anything would repel the shadow creatures, it would be the aura of the Master Sword.


End file.
